


A Longer Red String

by CallieLeigh



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blindshipping, Drinking, Heartshipping, Kleptoshipping - Freeform, M/M, Mobiumshipping - Freeform, Probably too much, Puzzleshipping, Ryou's liver may be in trouble
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:06:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29768358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallieLeigh/pseuds/CallieLeigh
Summary: A selfish continuation of the fic 'Red String' by renk3r from ff.net. From their summary: "They have finally uncovered Yami's memories, but instead of making him whole it seemed to have split him into two—and now Yugi must deal with two personas in the Puzzle, both equally possessive and unwilling to share. What's a young man to do?"From my summary: See notes at the beginning of my Ch 1 (Ch 6 overall).
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Atem/Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Bakura Ryou/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Yami Bakura/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Red String](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/768276) by renk3r. 



> I adopted the fic 'Red String' by renk3r (karen . renrin) from ff.net for the profoundly selfish reason that I got seriously blue-balled by all the lime and couldn't stand not lemonizing it. I wrote this for myself with no intention of posting it, mostly because I wanted to bring Bakura into the mix after he was mentioned in Ch 4, but also because this is the best Mobiumshipping premise I've seen (feel free to disagree - with proof - in the comments if you have something saucier). If anyone knows or can contact the original author, please let me know and I will gladly continue this or fuck off as per their desires.
> 
> I highly, highly recommend going to your googlebox and finding the original fanfic (keywords "Red String yugioh fanfiction.net" worked for me, I don't know if I'm allowed to link here, I did put it in the remix section though). It is definitely worth the read and much more subtle than I am. If the original fic is a scalpel, then mine is a meat cleaver (but was oh so fun to type out).
> 
> For those of you too lazy to go read it, here's supplemental summary to the main page text box:
> 
> Ch 1: Instead of retrieving Yami's memories like the Memory World arc, an entirely separate consciousness of the pharaoh is pulled into the Puzzle, resulting in a split soul room and some bizarre happenings with control of Yugi's body.
> 
> Ch 2: Yugi goes into the pharaoh's side of the soul room to...chat, and the pharaoh is very...physically affectionate. Both he and Yami were never taught that sharing is caring, putting Yugi in the middle of a feud he doesn't completely understand.
> 
> Ch 3: Yugi explains the marvels of modern life to the pharaoh, who in turn teases him during class. 
> 
> Ch 4: He relents in telling his friends about why he's been acting out, and they suggest that Yugi play some literal games with Yami and his doppelganger to try to help these guys get along inside his head. Later, a d-bag from Season 0 attacks Yugi, because Yami and the pharaoh are being stubborn assholes and not paying attention. They basically vaporize him, but only after Yugi has earned a stab wound. The shadow magic gets Bakura's attention.
> 
> Ch 5: Hospital scenes, apologetic fluff, and everyone finally playing some games - Yugi has the patience of a saint. This one is very well-written and for the last time, you should seriously go read this fic because it's awesome.

Chapter 6

* * *

Yugi awoke to the feeling of warm sunlight on his eyelids, shining through the skylight with a peacefulness settling in his heart. The two spirits maintained their open link to him, which was reassuring, and he mused with curiosity upon sensing that the connection was just slightly more amiable between the two - not affectionate as they were with him, but at least no longer actively hostile.

He exhaled as he sat up on the bed, swinging his feet over the side and rubbing his eyes to chase away the last of his fatigue, before standing...he hissed as he put his weight on his left leg, the residual pain from the stab wound shooting through his hip. He was glad that he'd been able to forget, even for a little while, the assault on his life and took his negligence upon standing as evidence that he was indeed healing - physically, as the pain had almost vanished as long as he remained immobile, and emotionally, as he had been able to push the memory down from the top of the queue of 'things to agonize about'. It was replaced with the joy and excitement of playing some of his favorite games, with his favorite supernatural people, who had managed to divert their general ire into friendly competition instead.

There was a beat of silence when he stood, as if the network of consciousness in his head needed a moment to process the clash of a surge of happiness from remembering the night before with the physical pain, when two voices emerged near-simultaneously, " _Yugi, are you okay?_ ". He waved his hands even though they hadn't apparated in front of him, and sent a wave of reassurance through their mental link, " _Fine, fine! Stood up too fast._ " 

He could feel Yami's frown, " _Aibou, you are being too hard on yourself...if you want me to take over I could absorb some of the healing process..._ "

Yugi objected sternly, " _I appreciate it, I really do, but you have both already suffered enough. This is the easy part._ " He began peeling off his pajama top and the bandage as he headed toward the shower. Now, the concept of privacy did seem a little ridiculous to him who hosted three separate consciousnesses including his own (did therapy exist for such a concept?), but he prodded a gentle defense between the spirits and him, reenforcing Atem's edge a little more, _just a little_ , as he usually did, for reasons he wasn't prepared to explore yet. It wasn't a matter of him _minding_ if the pharaoh saw him naked, since Yuugi was sure he was nothing special on that front, but where his mind usually ended up considering the reverse made his insides coil pleasantly, followed by embarrassment, and then inevitably to the memory of Atem pressing his lips to his neck in the throne room, then sliding his tongue down...No, what are... _get ahold of yourself, you just smoothed things out and you don't need to stir that up again_. He pulled the chain of the puzzle off his neck and set it on the counter, supposing some distance would help, and was mildly ashamed at the relief he felt at the connections weakening.

He turned the knob roughly on the tub to cold and pulled the pin on the shower head, trying mightily not to let his frustration of one form or another leak into the link.

* * *

Atem stretched royally on a chaise, staring out over the balcony at a magnificent Egyptian landscape, marveling at his craftsmanship in recreating the memory. _I should show Yugi_ , he mused, letting his lips curve into a gentle smirk, before it downturned with the unbidden thought, _I should show the other one too._ He felt a little odd being possessive of his memories - hadn't Yami rescued him for this? Still, he found the notion of sharing the view with his akhu much more compelling, and was proud of himself for wanting to share anything at all with anyone, after years of having his every command honored by a cadre of powerful sorcerers and subjects, but resenting the resultant, necessary loneliness that came with his title and position.

There were unfortunate holes in his memories too - which army he was fighting at what time during his reign, who he was chasing and why...how he died. His heart wrenched at the feeling of business left undone, as if this incarnation of him had been preserved too early to recall the pieces of history that were really important to why he existed here, again, in this new time.

His musings were interrupted by a pinch of pain, and he winced and clutched his hip and immediately reached out, as soothingly as possible, to ask Yugi if he was okay, echoing Yami's tendril of concern. The physical pain he felt was a jarring reminder of how spectacularly he had failed to keep the light in his world safe, and that hurt even more. 

He sensed some communication between his other and Yugi, and then felt a familiar barrier emerge, quickly this time, chuckling at how much better Yugi was getting at erecting it. Not that he would at this point without permission, but he suspected that if he tried to string any physical control away from his host that he would be less successful now that Yugi understood better how to navigate it. Still, he did miss possessing a hand or two to graze fingers across his neck and shoulders…

Yugi's removal of his shirt and sojourn to the bathing area, however, was unhidden and Atem felt briefly, but tantalizingly, a straying of Yugi's thoughts from his injury to himself, sparking a jolt of desire that made him sit up suddenly and reach out for it, for he certainly was going to be encouraging of every non-platonic thought he could...but just as suddenly, he felt the warmth of Yugi's chest removed from the puzzle and scowled at the thought of being set aside like a trinket or a piece of jewelry - which it was, jewelry, he supposed, given that he had a facsimile of the puzzle around his own neck, complementing his other lavish gold accessories, but still. If he hadn't made clear at this point that Yugi could ask him for anything... _anything_...then he'd certainly have to remedy that.

* * *

Despite the cool water, Yugi still felt a little light-headed and achy as he stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly and rushing to get undergarments in place lest he had an audience. He reconsidered Yami's earlier proposal and restarted their conversation as he slipped the puzzle back around his neck. " _Yami, I don't mean to be a burden, but I guess I could really use a break after all...maybe just until we get to school and..._ ", he trailed off as Yami gently assumed physical control at the request, his hand bracing his body against the dresser in his characteristic hunch. He phased comfortably into a ghostly form next to him and made eye contact with Yami, who inserted his usual physical changes with flourish and pulled on the rest of his uniform. 

"Of course, Aibou, get some rest," he spoke aloud as he resumed the rest of the morning chores. Yugi had to admit, despite the trials of hosting a powerful spirit (well, two now), the availability of the shift carried unique benefits. Oh, how he wished he had the option to tag out when he was the constant target of every bully in Domino. Of course, that plus inheriting this magic is what had gotten him here in the first place. He didn't like to try to remember exactly what happened to his attackers before he and Yami had established a more cooperative relationship, but if the watch man and what happened to him on both occasions incurring Yami's wrath was any indication, he thought maybe that he couldn't stomach it and chose not to bring it up.

With Atem he was more cautious; though the pharaoh was getting accustomed to the modern day, Yugi suspected that some of his mannerisms would attract some...he paused, even at his own thought... _unwanted_ attention. The word left a confusing flavor in his head, because the direct physical affection certainly wasn't unwanted, and his nerves were frazzled just thinking about Yami inciting another altercation with both of his arms flailing around. 

Instead, to be a little fair, he'd taken to offering for Atem to eat lunch or dinner when he was privileged to have something particularly delicious or interesting. Atem was always eager, though it was unclear if he liked the food or just absorbing control of Yugi's tongue for a few minutes. Yugi made sure to steer clear of candy on sticks, and ice cream cones (to Jounouchi's disappointment).

Despite his reservations for transferring control in the corporeal world, he couldn't fathom explaining to Yami that he wanted Atem to touch him again. How would that make him feel? More than anything, he couldn't bear to see the hurt in Yami's eyes, and to be the cause of it would break him. But that only held water if Atem's assertion of Yami's jealousy was accurate, and he wasn't about to go asking for evidence. _So, would you be cool with me just letting the pharaoh do what he wants?_ Yugi's ghost even blushed.

"What's that Aibou?" Yami quirked an eyebrow as he grabbed the last of his things and headed toward the front door. Yugi snapped out of his daze and floated back towards him, panicked. He was sure that his mind was a fortress over the last few minutes, he'd gotten a lot better at blocking them out. "Did I...uh, did I say something?" he stammered ungracefully, pretty certain that ghosts could sweat. Yami twisted the knob and exited onto the street, shrugging, "Maybe it was the brat."

" _Now that, I heard,_ " spat the pharaoh, with annoyance. " _Akhu was being cryptic before. If I had to guess I'd suppose it was more taunting by how badly we lost to him last night, but he was trying to be a graceful winner by shielding us from it._ " 

" _You got me,_ " said Yugi back through the link to both of them, slightly relieved but also suspicious of how quickly Atem had bailed him out with a perfectly reasonable-sounding excuse. " _I'm going to go to my puzzle room I think...Yami, can you call me if there's a quiz? I don't want to cheat._ " He got a thumbs up in affirmation as he joined Anzu on the walk to Domino High, a slight limp in his step though he carried his body with more poise than Yugi could have managed.

"Yugi, are you sure you don't want Jou or I to give you a piggyback again? Or for Honda to borrow the car?" 

Yami raised his eyes to her and refused, "No, the exercise will help with healing."

"Oh, Yami! Good morning. I thought you looked taller today. We haven't seen you in a while." She tapped his forehead lightly with her knuckles. "Everything ok up there?...and down there?" she gestured to his waist.

Yami cursed - both Yugi and he had forgotten to reapply the bandage, and while it was getting better he should still have wrapped it up. He untucked half of his shirt and lifted it, exposing part of his stomach as he sifted through the bag with his opposite hand looking for gauze. 

Anzu cringed and knelt in front of him, murmuring words of concern as she retrieved a first aid kit from her own bag. Yami smiled and set his bag down, leaning back slightly. "Always prepared Anzu...I appreciate that." She blushed as she taped the sterile pad onto the wound, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles, hoping it went unnoticed but knowing it didn't. Yami thanked her and they resumed their route, her with a bit more energy.

Meanwhile, the pharaoh was fuming, he would be _damned_ if he allowed anyone else to touch his akhu, Yami-controlled or not. He was even more enraged that both of them seemed to like her attention, as if some long-boiled crush had resurfaced. Every one of the women and men in his harem over the years was more beautiful than her! It occurred to him that Yami didn't remember it, and Yugi was innocent - mostly, though given his reaction to his ministrations he'd certainly thought about it, practical experience or no. Atem made a mental note to describe his access to every sensual pleasure of ancient Egypt in vivid detail for Yugi, when the other him wasn't around. Or better, demonstrate…

He perked up. The other him was talking with Anzu, joined by Honda and Jounouchi, thinking about their first class, and otherwise completely preoccupied. Yugi was alone in his soul room and had gotten quite adept at building a mental block, although Atem reasoned he would need to add his own layer of spiritual lead to the box if he was going to go through with what he was planning and evade detection.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, 2020 did some things to me and this was the result. Enjoy.

Chapter 7

* * *

Yugi laid down on the carpet of his soul room and stretched out into a snow angel formation, enjoying the lack of pain in his side and the quiet boredom that washed over him as Yami assumed complete responsibility for his earthly duties. He projected a last wave of gratitude and closed off, wondering if he should conjure a bed or something to sleep on. Although, sleep was elusive in this place, and felt more like a distortion of the passage of time, consciousness floating through darkness instead of the restorative power of REM sleep. He wondered if that was how Atem felt before Yami had retrieved him...he hoped that the millennia of isolation wasn't all unpleasant, but hesitated with a pang of worry realizing that he'd probably never understand entirely. His soul had been trapped before...he shivered remembering it...but a few months in the Seal couldn't possibly compare to the ages of nothingness for the two spirits...could it? 

In any case, he wasn't much good at creating things in the Puzzle; the labyrinth of stone in Yami's mind and the striking ornateness of Atem's throne room seemed unattainable to him. All his games were nice, but not particularly cozy. He squeezed his eyes shut as the light dimmed and desperately tried to will a pillow under his head when he heard a knock on his door. He started to stand, wondering why his mind double checked what he was wearing, "Ah, come in!" he bid cheerfully . He was flattered that the pharaoh was returning the courtesy of tacitly asking permission to enter, given that he was impulsive and up to this point pretty forward about doing exactly what he wanted all the time. 

Backlit by the glow of the divided soul room, glittering under all that gold and complemented by a fiery red stare, Atem looked every bit suited to his regal and divine title. Yugi swallowed dry and tried not to look stupid - would he ever get used to that kind of entrance? It made his soul room feel like a decadent ballroom and him feel like a dusty servant.

"Akhu, it is so good to see you, in here for once where we can have a proper conversation without being disturbed." As if he had read Yugi's mind (which Yugi supposed he had), Atem produced two pillows that glowed with the sheen of purple silk, an ornate carpet swirling open in front of his feet and coming to rest at Yugi's. He tossed them next to each other on the new rug and delicately folded himself into a cross-legged position. How he managed to still make that arrangement look like a throne was awe-inspiring.

Atem patted the second pillow gingerly with his palm and beckoned to Yugi with an outstretched finger. He tiptoed over and sat the same way, shorter by a head but straightening his back instead of hunching. "Welcome back Pharaoh! Come for some more games?"

"In a manner of speaking. I thought we could pass the time while the other dealt with the physical world. I have been so privileged to learn about you over the past few weeks, akhu, to see your happiness with your servan...friends, to feast on your modern delicacies, to watch your beautiful eyes light up when you win your card games..."

Yugi blushed, certain that no one had ever called anything about him beautiful before Atem...

"...and in hearing the stories of your adventures. But in all those tales, never once have you mentioned any sort of romance or sensual pleasure, and I have to know because I have to know what you like - I don't think I've been unclear about any of my intentions, and bidden or not your reaction is intoxicating to me but tinged with uncertainty. Why?"

He had leaned so close that Yugi could smell lavender and fire - perfume? Fragrant oil? Had he noticed it before and been too distracted? This place felt just like the regular world to him, so he had no doubt that it was 'real', real enough here anyway. And what was real right now was Atem's heat radiating onto him like the Sun God himself.

"I, well...you want to know if I've had a crush on anyone?"

"No, I'm not asking about how you crush your enemies, but let's come back to that..."

"It's not...! You know, your English is great but we still have some gaps to fill." Yugi scratched his head, "A crush is where you like someone, as more than a friend, but maybe they don't like you back." He sighed and leaned back on his elbows, suddenly tense. "And maybe you don't say anything because what if they really don't? Then you've ruined what you had before. I've never wanted to ruin what I've had enough to take that risk. Maybe I'm a coward."

"No, akhu, anyone who doesn't return your affection is blind and a fool," Atem admonished, "not that it would be in my best interest to encourage them." He smirked and looked thoughtful for a moment. "So tell me what it is you like about these people you have crushed."

"That's still...it's actually..." Yugi wondered if correcting him was worth the trouble for a second time, so he moved on...he'd had a conversation like this with Jounouchi before, given that the blonde was his best friend, but Jou had no issues with dating or a shortage of interested people. "I mean Anzu was the first girl that I noticed was _a girl,_ " ...Atem huffed, _Oh her again_...but Yugi didn't notice, "...and was always so nice to me, way before the others were. She would patch me up with her kit and report all the jerks that beat me up, but I eventually convinced her that trying to hold them accountable was just making things worse for me." 

"Yugi, I am so sorry you had to tolerate such abuse for so long...if your pining is mired in pain it is difficult to look forward. If I could erase all of your pain I would." 

The assertion made Yugi warm but he objected, "That is a nice thing to say...but I don't think I would change it. Our experiences make us who we are, right? I wouldn't be me if it had gone any differently." He smiled sadly. It's what made Atem and Yami two different people also.

"So this Anzu, she did not pursue you?"

"Well, I didn't either, exactly, considering the overt signals that she was more interested in you...well, the other me. I didn't want to interfere with that."

Atem scoffed and leaned back, and Yugi felt like a magnet was pulling him forward to maintain their proximity. "And I suppose he reciprocated?"

Yugi shrugged, "I'm not sure...it's not something we talked that much about. At some points I kind of felt like I was pushing it on him, but that was selfish." He looked briefly ashamed and folded his arms into his lap.

"This all sounds very strange to me. And I can certainly appreciate the emotional turmoil, but what about your physical needs?" He closed the gap between them again, earrings tittering like bells as the metal danced around his face. "What arouses you, akhu?"

 _This, this, all of this, apparently_...Yugi thought breathlessly, trying and failing to block the mind link, but he spoke anyway, struggling to remain coherent, "I mean some of these girls at the tournaments, they run up and grab me, or kiss me, and that feels kind of nice," he suggested, looking for an out, "though I do wish they'd ask me first since it's kind of awkward in front of everyone. There was also this one time during a duel that Kaiba..."

Atem interrupted by looping an elbow around Yugi's knee, another hand curling behind his neck and pulling him horizontal, pressing their bodies together on the floor.

Yugi had promised himself he would be more collected and yet still managed to gasp embarrassingly as Atem trailed his hands up his sides, coming to rest under his ears, thumbs symmetrically caressing his cheekbones. He aligned his eyes with Yugi's and stared directly into his soul. Yugi squirmed a bit, and oh man if the concept of blood existed here it was all in his face and much lower...he was saying something? It was so hard to hear…

"... _can I kiss you, Yugi?_ "

 _Ah._ That was the opening Atem had been looking for. He supposed he'd walked right into that one. His eyes darted as his breath hitched, his body alight under Atem's captivating restraint. He finally nodded and mouthed a breathy, meek " _Yes,_ " because he really _did_ want that...especially after all the ridiculous teasing, especially after…

And then his mind was blank except for the soft lips that had aggressively descended upon his. One of Atem's arms gripped around his waist, deepening the contact as he swirled his hips against Yugi's, earning him another gasp of surprise, which Atem took as an invitation to invade with his tongue.

Every other touch he had experienced seemed to fade to mist, a shadow of the electricity that shot through him at every point of contact, so he sought to increase it, he just wanted to _absorb_ himself into Atem's body, his words from the throne room echoing in his head, " _I want to be closer to you still..._ " Yugi wrapped his arms around the pharaoh's neck and entwined his fingers in his hair, pushing himself into the kiss with a fervency he didn't recognize, tongue reaching up to meet the other's, a leg snaking around to press harder, and earning a guttural growl from Atem, who hadn't felt this sinful rush of pleasure in thousands of years, pouring oceans of lust into his movements and their mental link.

Ears still thumping with the beating of his heart, Yugi made a sound of disappointment at the loss of Atems lips on his as he trailed down his neck, hands spreading his shirt apart to caress the soft, pale skin beneath. He chuckled a deep baritone as he licked and massaged his way down Yugi's chest to his hip bone, tucking his fingers into the waistband of his pants, which seemed to have gotten smaller..."Don't worry, my lovely akhu," he breathed between kisses, "there's a lot more my mouth can do for you."

Being inexperienced as he was, he still knew where _that_ was going, having been shamefully recalling this fantasy since Atem's arrival and trying desperately not to share it. He'd forgotten everything else, his friends and work and cards galaxies away, such that the only thing that mattered was the godly creature now running his tongue along the crease where his thigh and pelvis connected, and his, it was so hot in here now, he'd barely noticed his pants disappearing. "Forgive me," he heard as a breathy whisper, "I've waited so long," and then he engulfed Yugi in his mouth.

Whatever immense pleasure Yugi had been feeling before was amplified exponentially as he arched his hips, moaning with abandon and wondering for the millionth time how this felt so real in a construct of his mind. 

Atem devoured him like a starving man, anxious to give his light every pleasure he had been gifted to receive as a King of Egypt. Yugi should be treasured, worshipped, every whim that had been honored for Atem in his short lifetime should be granted tenfold.

Yugi could feel that pressure building with each stroke, good god what was he doing with his _hands_ too?!...it was like nothing he'd ever even dreamed of doing to himself, was so much, so hot, his room was a kiln and the pharaoh was shaping him into a creature of pure ecstasy without another thought in the world. In a last ditch effort to hold on, Yugi squeezed his fingers into fists around the high pile of the carpet, but saw stars as rapture overtook him and he climaxed, white-hot and screaming, Atem's true name on his lips.

He wondered if certain physiological realities manifested here, and his breath hitched between pants as he drifted down as Atem graced him with a few last, light licks and tugs before wiping his mouth with his palm and shifting his gaze back to eye contact.

Yugi was still panting heavily, the silence stretching, and had _absolutely no idea what to say_. "Oh my god..." he whispered, his fumblings thinking about Anzu and those magazines Joey 'accidentally left in his room' felt tepid and dilute by comparison.

"You don't have to call me that." Atem held his gaze and slowly slinked back up Yugi's body with his hands, eliciting shivers from his host and was surprised when small hands wrapped around his upper arms and pulled him flush over his face. "That...I feel...I had no idea...!" He darted his eyes down nervously, "Can I, uh...?"

" _Anything you wish, little one_ ," Atem breathed back huskily, and then groaned in surprise when Yugi timidly pulled his face down into another kiss. _Yugi_ had kissed _him_ , and while Atem was delighted by the fact he was also bemused since men didn't typically go for that in his experience, after his previous activity. If Yugi minded the taste he gave no indication, tentatively darting his tongue and as if begging for its prior treatment.

His eyes snapped open when he felt a hand gently wrap around his shaft through his cloak and tug, my Yugi was feeling _bold_ now wasn't he? Such a generous student, and there was so much to teach him, eternity wouldn't be long enough to explore every sordid thought that crossed his mind as he growled into their kiss, thrusting his hips forward in encouragement.

As Yugi's normal brain function returned, he calmed somewhat. _Okay_ , he thought, _at least this is something I know how to do to myself, so maybe_...Atem seemed to be enjoying himself too, lustful groans of approval traveling through his mouth with every stroke. _But what next?_

He must not have been careful with the mind link that time, because Atem came up for air to answer him and cupped his face, "Well, I could..."

Suddenly they both snapped their necks around to the door of Yugi's soul room, panicked. Yugi looked back at him from their compromising position of being pantless and having his legs entangled with the pharaoh’s, suddenly very conscious of the fact that this was a shared space. 

Atem was extremely confident that the barrier he had shielded them with was infallible, so it must be something else, Ra _dam_ _n_ his other for interrupting even if he didn't know he was interrupting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol you've read this far? Enter Bakura.

Chapter 8

* * *

Back in the physical world, Yami was absently strolling down a vacant hall between Yugi's classes, curious why the other occupants of the Puzzle had been so absolutely quiet, but stocking it up to Yugi resting and the pharaoh moping in the luxury of his throne room.

Yugi may not have noticed the shadow creeping behind him if he had been in control, but Yami did. As he felt it prepare for an ambush, he snapped around with an elbow outstretched to defend himself. The bullying had been near nonexistent since Yami had…’intervened’, and Yugi had claimed the fame associated with his titles, garnering attention that Yami both liked (praise, adoration) and disliked (hugging, flirting, from all _sorts_ of people not good enough for his Aibou), so he was surprised for an unprovoked attack but ready to fight.

His elbow, though, wasn't quick enough, and the white-haired menace that jumped him ducked and caught him at the neck with a forearm, pushing him backwards with a soft crunch against the rusty, abandoned lockers of this particular hall. It was enough force to restrain him but not enough to hurt that much, so, what was this guy getting at?

"Hi Yugi, I thought we could have a short chat about the voice in your head," Bakura growled with amusement, bracing his leaning stance over the shorter man with a palm flat on the adjacent locker. He leaned down closer to Yami's face and his lips curled into a frown. "Oh. It's you. No matter, this will do."

"What do you want, Bakura?" Yami began raising his hands to extricate himself but Bakura was still quicker, pinning one of Yami's wrists deftly with his bracing arm and the other with his hip before it could reach his face.

"No, no, hands where I can see them...well, feel them anyway, now are you going to engage with me peacefully or do I need to put you on the floor?"

"You snuck up on me, attacked me, and then twisted me into this compromising position, so forgive me if I'm not feeling particularly compliant."

"Well I certainly wouldn't mind putting the _other you_ in a compromising position, but for now this is just simple restraint...or are you enjoying yourself?"

Yami bristled at the implications. "Tell me what you want or let me go."

" _Or?_ Poor choice of words." He paused more deliberately and leaned in, twirling his thumb on Yami's wrist and considering his options. Tease this one and watch him squirm, risking a punch to Ryou's face, or get what he came for? A trio of girls walked by, mild worry in their eyes, but they were still pointing and whispering. Bakura turned his head to them and flashed his most charming smile. "Ladies," he nodded, "move along, just some friendly banter. I'll see you later right?" Eventually, after they had passed, red-faced and giggling, Bakura released all three purchase points on Yugi's body and spun around to lean beside him, slipping his hands into his pockets to indicate a temporary truce.

Yami rubbed his wrist and then his hip injury in annoyance and cast a purple glare rightward into the brown eyes of his assailant. "Are you in the habit of co-opting Ryou at school, or are you just feeling particularly vindictive today?" Yami drawled, straightening his shoulders and folding his arms, looking far too dismissive and confident for Bakura's taste right after being caught so off-guard.

"Vindictive every day. Curious today. Yugi hasn't been at school for a while. I am simply deeply concerned for his well-being," Bakura pouted dramatically, batting Ryou's eyes and conjuring some feigned emotion, as if he didn't know what actual concern should look like.

Yami actually seemed to deflate a little, which Bakura wasn't expecting. "Yugi was attacked by one of my victims that I should have deposed long ago," he said. "I know you and I are not friends, but an actual display of compassion may be welcome. From Ryou, anyway. If you even talk to him."

"Pharaoh, I'm hurt, Ryou and I share a close special bond that you could never understand," he stated, edged with sarcasm (or was it?), and then continued, "but sure, I'll pass on the message. What I really am dying to know is how you finally managed to tap into the full power of your Millennium Item. I could feel it from ten miles away." Yami's eyes widened a bit, not having considered the ripples his union with the actual pharaoh may have caused in their effort to save Yugi's life - he was on the fence as to whether or not Bakura was truly an overt enemy, due to his behavior during Battle City, but he had to wonder whether this entity or others practiced in shadow magic had been similarly affected.

"Can you even control it? Or was that just a one-time thing? You could just give me the Puzzle, of course, and I'll investigate..." He made grabbing gestures with his hands at Yami's chest, cackling. Yami swatted him away and stepped back. Bakura continued, "Now come on, Pharaoh, let me talk to the little one and ask him what he thinks about all this."

"No."

"What's the matter? Trouble in paradise? Has he been making you sleep on the couch in your soul room?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Because if you've been ignoring him, and he needs the healing touch of a man I will gladly oblige if you just let him out."

"I don't know what kind of twisted game you're trying to play, but this is wildly inappropriate."

"Listen, I'm 90% sure you're an absolute prude, and 10% wondering if you've been fucking the shit out of him ever since he slipped the last piece of your puzzle together. Want to indulge me with which choice is correct?"

In a first, Yami invoked Atem to shine through his eyes with a suggestiveness and heat that he knew he couldn't pull off on his own. As the pharaoh glided through his consciousness, there was another layer of blistering heat that he was suspicious of but couldn't identify. "And why exactly would you like to know?" he dripped with silky dark overtones, edged convincingly with sexual frustration, "because I'm certain that you're quite enjoying this too." He blinked slowly and leaned toward Bakura evocatively before quietly pushing Atem away again, prepared to regain his serious composure. 

Bakura felt warmth creeping into his face and banished it with a scoff. "Ok. Maybe 80/20 now."

"Just because you coerce Ryou into your perversions doesn't mean the rest of us are deviants." 

"Rest of us?" He quirked an eyebrow. "If you mean Marik, he is definitely a deviant. I have direct, extremely hot evidence of that. Ask Yugi if he wants a demonstration of the play-by-play. Ishizu, on the other hand, is a harder nut to crack."

"Surprising that your charms failed you on that front."

"Marik was horrified that I tried during the tournament. But half the time he was distracted mind-fucking Anzu and ignoring me."

Yami frowned and let the inevitable guilt sink into his stomach. He wasn't even sure if Yugi had talked about that particular development with Anzu, but he hadn't been suspicious about anything untoward going on, although apparently he should have been. He must have looked particularly dejected, and Bakura couldn't stand the awkward silence.

"Hey, your highness, not that I give a shit but are you ok? Jesus you idiot I don't think he did anything rape-y, besides the literal mind control, but...I mean do you guys even still have a thing?"

Yami glared. "I'm ending this conversation." He sidestepped Bakura and glanced worriedly at the clock, noting that he was now running several minutes late to Yugi's next class. What was it again?

" _Hold on...mou hitori no boku, I want to talk to Ryou._ " Yugi's voice through their link came out of nowhere and startled him a bit after the lengthy silence. 

" _Absolutely not, Aibou. Have you been paying attention? Besides, I am late for your class._ "

" _It_ _'s okay. This seems more important than the class. Bakura is avoiding whatever the real issue is and trying to goad you. If I talk to Ryou maybe I can figure out what he really wants._ "

Yami sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He gasped when he turned back around to find Bakura had followed silently behind him and was now inches from his face. The halls were completely empty now since the next class had started, so they were utterly alone.

Bakura had clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward. "Commentary from the peanut gallery?" he quipped, circling a hand with flourish back around between them and drumming his index finger on Yami's forehead. 

Yami scowled and tilted his face away from the invasive appendage. "Something like that. Yugi would like to take over after all."

The thief got that light in his eyes again and smirked. "Wonderful."

"...but he doesn't want anything to do with you. Please implore Ryou to join him or I will keep walking."

"Boring," he spat, eyebrows furrowed. "We don't exactly carry on a conversation like you two seem to. I just put him to sleep and do what I want."

"That definitely sounds like you. Wake him up." 

Bakura stared daggers at him and huffed. "Fine. We'll let the little ones talk since we don't seem to be getting anywhere."

"A wise choice."

After a brief moment with his eyes closed, and a movement that looked like REM sleep, Ryou stared back at him with a heaviness in his eyes. He looked smaller, more tired, and rubbed his right temple with his hand.

"Yami, I am normally happy to see you, but Bakura has a horrible hangover and I really don't want to be the one riding it out for him," he groaned, leaning against the drinking fountain and paling a bit. Bakura must have been immensely talented at hiding his discomfort, or redirecting it as fuel to irritate him...Yami supposed the latter was more likely.

Yami put a firm hand on his shoulder in concern and stepped back, mentally speaking, to allow Yugi to take control. He felt another stab of guilt when Yugi winced at the return of his pain, but his Aibou seemed to recover more quickly this time and rubbed Ryou's shoulder with his thumb, softening his grip. Always more concerned for others.

Purple eyes met brown and warmed up a bit. How long had it been since they had 'seen' each other? 

"It's good to see you Yugi," Ryou smiled, tilting his head and extending his arms.

"Likewise!" said Yugi, accepting the embrace and trying to push all the sordid events he'd just experienced in the Puzzle to the corner of his mind for...later. The timing for this wasn't great, but would it ever be?

"We noticed you haven't been around. There were rumors you were in some kind of accident but I didn't feel comfortable going to your friends about it," shrugged Ryou, casting his eyes at the floor.

"They're your friends too; and I really do appreciate your concern." It was the kind of thing that people said out of social courtesy, but when Yugi said it it was obvious that he meant every word.

"You look like hell."

"So do you."

"You'd think we'd be used to this by now." Ryou kicked the wall absently. "My head is killing me. Are we ditching or what?"

Yugi had never even gotten detention, let alone cut without an excuse, but he felt like an old spirit with the weight of the world on his shoulders (which he supposed wasn't far from the truth) and figured that with all recent events considered he deserved a few hours' vacation.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 9

* * *

The two young men snuck out the back of the school grounds by the dumpsters and squeezed through a hole in the fence, feeling very much like devious eight-year-olds despite being a decade removed and possessed by ancient Egyptian spirits. It hadn't exactly been a normal high-school experience. Eventually, after passing through much of downtown Domino, they collapsed on a park bench and simultaneously tucked their knees up to their chests. Yugi chuckled at the similarity.

Ryou unzipped a side pocket on his bag and pulled out one of Bakura's half-empty flasks. "Hair of the dog," he said, raising the flask in a toast before taking a long swig. 

Yugi smiled with mild worry, "I pegged Bakura for a drinker, but not you...you sure your liver can survive all that?"

"What I'm sure of is that the rest of my body can't survive the alternative. This relaxes his control a bit so I can at least be present sometimes. And makes him easier to suppress when I'm on this end. He doesn't get so mad about it because when he finally wins at least he's got a good flush already," Ryou laughed and passed the flask to Yugi.

Yugi swirled it around and sniffed it, wrinkling his nose. He passed pretty easily on peer pressure but Ryou may be his only actual peer in the world, given the commonality of their situations with the Millennium Items, and Yugi didn't feel pressured. He still felt some residual oxytocin from his soul room activities with Atem and, emboldened by that confidence, he tilted the container back into his throat and drained it. It lit up his mouth with exotic spices and burned all the way down into his stomach, warming him instantly. "That's delicious. What is it?"

"Some high-proof herbal thing, Bakura must have tried everything from the corner shop but got sucked into this, and by extension so did I. Girls like it too so he's stocked up my apartment. I guess in his time there was only beer and wine although he claims the beer was pretty good." His long white hair caught the wind and fluttered around his face as he tried to push it away from his eyes. He made the inconvenience look graceful and Yugi felt a pang of jealousy.

"Girls?" he asked.

"Mostly," sighed Ryou. "I'll admit that I enjoy myself either way, his charm does have its perks."

"I didn't mean...that..." Yugi stammered, suddenly very aware of the grass below them on the bench. "I mean he just...uses your body for that stuff? Are you okay with that?"

"The other side of that coin is not being okay with it, and having it happen anyway, which I consider worse. But yes, it's exhilarating honestly, and I can't imagine having the confidence to go through with it myself." He exhaled contentedly, feeling the alcohol gradually absorb into his bloodstream from his empty stomach. "Why, what does Yami do? Ask permission?"

He flushed, whether from the liquor or from embarrassment he wasn't sure. "I mean I'm assuming he would, but he hasn't expressed any interest in that sort of thing..."

" _Please be quiet_ ," hissed Ryou to the side, away from them, presumably to the Ring. " _That isn't very nice._ " 

Yugi was becoming increasingly aware of Atem's tittering amusement and Yami's darkly tinged annoyance with this conversation, and he steeled himself against another potential argument while he watched Ryou have one of his own. "Everything alright?" Yugi giggled and poked Ryou in his ribs.

"Ow, hey! It's, _no, I am not saying that..._ "

"What does he want to say?" He was feeling a lot warmer now, lightheaded.

Ryou tried to cover his entire face with his hands cupped around his eyes. "Bakura," he breathed in, "he says, no wonder the pharaoh is such an uptight prick, since neither of you are getting laid. It's so rude I can't..." Ryou had his eyes squeezed shut and was fishing around in his bag. He was sure Bakura had stashed more flasks in there and he was losing his handle on motor control to the spirit of the Ring. He scooted away from Yugi just in case until his hand clasped around another metal rectangle. "Oh look, a full one!" He popped the flip top with his thumb, took another healthy drink, and slid it back across the bench.

Yugi tore into it - you know what? Maybe Ryou was right. The suppression of his inhibitions was making it easier to drown out the protests.

" _That insolent cur, I will cut out his tongue for insinuating…_ ”

" _This is not constructive, we need to figure out what his motives are..._ "

He tossed the flask back and Ryou caught it deftly, intent on finishing it off. It was kind of freeing that it was all blending together, Yugi thought...no, this wasn't constructive, and wasn't his intent when he wanted to take back his body to talk to Ryou, but when was the last time he had a ridiculous conversation with one of his friends?

Ryou had his tongue out and his head back trying to shake the last drops of his tasty beverage into his mouth, but some of the liquid had beaded and trickled down the side, threatening to escape. Ryou hooked his tongue under the base and trailed the droplet back up to the tip, before curling it back into his mouth and swallowing, having the audacity to make eye contact at that exact moment.

Yugi's mouth was suddenly very dry, and he was very thirsty..."Bakura teach you that as a flirting technique?" he recovered, elbows on his knees. 

"Yeah...is it working?" His eyelashes fluttered innocently. 

"What constitutes working?" Great Ra, were the spirits putting words in his mouth or was his blood alcohol content!?

"Bakura says I should help you out. I think we agree on something."

Yugi, get yourself together, you get one blowjob and now you're falling _all over_ this. He must have looked terrified, because Ryou continued, "Relax, I'm not going to fuck you on a public park bench...Bakura suggests we table that idea though...I just want to make out. Come on. We're drunk, it feels good, it's fun I promise."

"You don't care that I'm not a girl?"

"Is it gay or straight to be attracted to a disembodied spirit? I don't know what I am anymore. Just that I'm possessed by a hedonist. Now let's solve this ancient feud between Bakura and your King with love, not war."

And with that oddly profound declaration, Ryou leaned forward and captured Yugi's lips with his, tasting the residual spices from the alcohol and something that was very uniquely _Yugi_ underneath it, gentle and pleading.

Yugi felt a familiar fire ignite, pooling in his groin, but he was completely baffled at not only getting kissed twice in one day, but in how different they felt...he didn't think it made a difference that this was the 'real' world, but it did enthrall him that he had absolutely no idea what Ryou was thinking at that moment; there was no mind link for any emotion or words to pass through, and the intoxication had subdued the other voices. It was quiet, there was no danger save for a possibly latent Bakura, and someone he liked was kissing him. 

He tangled his hands in Ryou's long hair and deepened their contact, eliciting a moan as he darted a tongue out to explore his friend's mouth. Ryou fought him and pulled their bodies closer until he was straddling Yugi on the bench, hungrily but gently biting and sucking on his lips and tongue. 

Yugi enjoyed the dynamic too, since their intent and enthusiasm measured for equals instead of a power play, wondering how long Ryou Bakura had considered something like this, and kicking himself for being so closed off to it and other pleasurable opportunities he'd been completely oblivious to for so long. He boldly trailed hands down either side of Ryou's thighs and pulled him closer, delighted to have someone in _his_ lap for once. What would a pair of Yamis who hated to share think about _this_ ? He sent a drunken mental raspberry through the link. " _Sharing is caring._ " Both responses were incensed but Atem's was tinged with an odd kind of pride that maybe he'd successfully corrupted Yugi a little.

Ryou was working his hands up Yugi's chest, and when he shifted his knees around Yugi's hips to change his angle, he put weight on the stab wound and the moment shattered.

Yugi yelped into his lips and his eyes shot open as he pushed Ryou back, earning a gasp of surprise on the other end too. "Shit! I forgot! I'm so sorry!" Ryou scrambled off of him and got on his knees in the grass, reaching forward to lift Yugi's shirt.

He gritted his teeth as Ryou pressed around the bandages. "Ryou is it bleeding again?"

"No, I don't think so. Hard to tell though, it's a nice patch job. Looks like Anzu's work."

"Hm. Come to think of it I don't remember doing it myself this morning. She must still carry that kit she claims is for safety but really was to clean me up after I got beat up." His chest warmed at the thought.

"Pfft, yeah that and probably wanted to feel up Yami. He never answered Bakura, do they still have a thing?"

Yugi avoided the direct inquiry also and circled back, "How is it that you recognize someone's bandaging style? That's an oddly specific thing to remember."

Ryou let his other question hang. "She spent a lot of time with me when Marik was wrecking Bakura, and was better at it than Kaiba's nursing staff, so I was appreciative. Bakura was rather lecherous about it until Marik put me under for good, though. She's either a saint for putting up with it or has a thing for millennia-old spirits possessing younger men, no matter whose body they're in." His eyes sparkled.

"Or, is a caring and compassionate woman who wants to help when people are hurt."

"You put her on a pedestal, Yugi."

"Not every encounter is about libido."

"And isn't that a shame." He crossed his arms over Yugi's thighs from his position on the grass in front of the bench and rested his chin on them. "Do you want me to carry you? With how delicate you still seem to be you may want to spend a few more days with your feet up." He frowned with worry and braced his hand on the arm of the bench to stand up. 

The thought of Ryou carrying him through town like a bride over the threshold sounded more appealing than in might have a few hours ago, but his legs were fine. "No, it's okay. I could see if Yami wants to walk. Maybe Bakura wants to carry _him_." 

Ryou snorted with laughter, "I'm imagining Bakura being a gallant prince and I think my mind is short-circuiting." Yugi heard snorts of derision through his link and only imagined what Bakura was tormenting Ryou with.

They stood up, Ryou assisting with a hand as a brace, and headed back toward the sidewalk. They were a little wobbly from the booze but otherwise cheerful, talking about nothing, until they had made their way back to the Kame Game Shop, school having dismissed ages ago.

Yugi admired how easy their conversation had been, perhaps it was the drunken haze, but the worry that had struck his heart when Ryou had kissed him that it would be _so awkward_ later was completely unfounded. He felt content, proud that he had exercised his own agency and done something he wanted to do. 

"...and when we got back from Egypt, he just ignored me for days! Can you believe that? All that work and for what? Anyway, get some rest and maybe I'll see you next week. If anyone asks at school I'll say you weren't feeling well and I assisted, so we don't ruin your perfect student image," he chuckled. 

Yugi had frozen with his hand on the door when Ryou had mentioned Egypt - he had stopped paying attention before that, he thought with guilt; what had Ryou been talking about?

"Anyway, see you later Yugi." He turned to leave.

"Hey, uh...one more thing before you go..." he started.

"You want a goodbye kiss?"

Yugi blushed hard, would his body please stop doing that!? It was mortifying to be in a constant state of redness. The thought was tempting, but, "You didn't mention you had gone to Egypt...when was that?"

Ryou looked puzzled. "Bakura got something up his ass about his past and said we were going, I was barely aware of the trip. It was a month or so ago now."

"We went too, I guess a few days' offset...did you see Ishizu and Marik?"

"Yeah, I kind of figured that's why Bakura actually responded to the invitation, they were kind of standoffish though so I assumed that's why he sulked for so long when we got back."

"Did he mention anything about retrieving memories?"

"I uh...yes. He said it went fine."

Yugi took his hand off the door and stepped forward, leaning up into Ryou's face and using his thumb and index finger to widen one of Ryou's eyes. "Hey," he wasn't addressing Ryou. "How many of you are in there?" The Ring around Ryou's neck glowed faintly and then the middle spindle outstretched itself to flip him off. He should have been offended, but instead a panic set in as he saw Ryou's form enlarge and his eyes darken. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 10

* * *

Bakura frowned and picked him up by the waist, draping poor Yugi over a forearm and eliciting a delightful shriek of fear. He raised his arm to call the shadows, which curled around them like a cyclone, and with a loud pop they were standing in Ryou's living room instead of at Yugi's game shop.

"You can _teleport_?" shrieked Yugi, disoriented. His passengers must have been jumbled too because they were shouting at each other and trying to take his body back but the disjoint effort was causing some difficulty.

"You little idiot, you think that's the most interesting thing happening right now?" He tossed Yugi unceremoniously on the couch and swiped an ornate-looking bottle off the coffee table, which Yugi supposed was the herbal liqueur Ryou had given him earlier and was still clouding his vision with a dizzying warmth. "For one thing, it takes a lot of effort and I'm very tired. For another, this is _exactly_ what I was going to query you about in the first place before your _Yami_ gave me a bunch of attitude." He flicked the cork out of the top and started chugging; when he came up for air his eyes were dark and humorless, but did Yugi see a tiny bit of...fear?

"Plus, if your others are going to attempt to vaporize me, I would prefer they do it in the comfort of my abode instead of on the street. Although, Ryou is right you know," Bakura continued, flopping next to Yugi and curling an arm around his shoulder. "Keeping a steady stream of this shit in your system will make things very difficult for your, eh... _doppelgangers_." 

Yugi had already figured this out, since he was begging for one of them to step in and they were frantically flitting around, trying to concentrate. He felt their spirits try to emerge and reform outside the puzzle but they would only materialize for a moment before collapsing. Bakura watched the show with disinterest, though Yugi realized the thief could see the spirit forms too.

"I am assuming that Yami failed to contain the other one given the shitshow I'm witnessing now, which gives me great joy because it's something I'm proud to say I succeeded at," he said, tapping the Ring. He leaned over to his side and curled his chin to Yugi's cheek; Yugi could smell the alcohol on his breath and trembled a bit, this felt _way different_ from Ryou. "Well, mostly anyway. If you think I'm a bastard then you _really, really_ don't want to meet this other guy. My success is tenuous and I am on my knees for you Yugi, begging for your help."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at Bakura's lazily widespread knees in front of them from his recline on the cushion (his own legs looked so small by comparison!) and tried to crane his neck away from the thief. Bakura turned his face to his outstretched knees and back to Yugi. "Figuratively, anyway. If the pharaoh...s," he pluralized at the last second, "think that I'm going to bow to them they're dreaming." He dropped the arm that had been around Yugi's shoulders down to his waist and drew him closer.

" _Unhand him_ you degenerate," Yugi felt slip from his mouth, and Bakura cackled, "Uh oh, better have some more of this." He tangled his fingers through the back of Yugi's hair and yanked his neck back, tilting the bottle to his lips. Yugi coughed violently as the liquid slid down his throat, but gurgled and swallowed as he steadied the bottle with his own hands (why were his hands so small too?) and leveled his eyes back with the man's before him. He steadied his breathing and sought for the confidence he'd been feeling earlier, deep in the pit of his stomach.

"I was going to tell you to swallow, but you seem to be on top of things now. Care to take that enthusiasm to the bedroom?"

"You'll have to forgive my outbursts," Yugi measured, subtly coughing the rest of the liqueur out of his lungs. "I of course would be happy to help. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's being helpful to a fault, even under threat for my life." He was getting utterly fed up with the situation and mildly lonely at the lack of success from his protectors.

"Aggressive now. I think Ryou was too gentle with you." He curled up like a predatory cat next to Yugi, feigning obeisance and curling his fingers into a bruising grip on Yugi's bicep. His eyes were hooded and heated. "I don't know what they're doing to you in there," he said, his voice suddenly soft and suggestive, sliding his fingertips from the top of Yugi's temple down to the corner of his lips, "but it can't possibly compare to what I can do for you out here."

Yugi felt a sudden calm wash over him, the redness vanished, his blood pressure dropping, the alcohol diffusing from his skin like a vaporizer, shadows twisting around his limbs. Had his cries for help been answered? He twisted his fingers into a fist. He got to decide what he wanted. Not Bakura, not _other_ Bakura, not Yami or Atem or Ryou or anyone else that seemed to be demanding his attention these past few hours. He was sure that a lead brick fortress of a mental wall and a night with Bakura would be a true exploration of exactly what he had been missing, but he was too incensed and too curious to really give in to that and enjoy himself, so he took advantage of his sudden control and called on the Puzzle with earnest that was powerful but measured. He didn't want Bakura utterly destroyed by whatever primal force had overwhelmed his previous attacker, and he didn't want Atem and Yami to decide what was best for him in this unstable equilibrium. 

Instead, he caressed the sides of the puzzle and concentrated on manifesting his other selves outside of it, with a control that he hadn't even managed to translate into a pillow in his own soul room, summoning both Atem and Yami to materialize on either side of him. This had unfortunately put Yami in Bakura's lap, and Atem in the arm of a couch, but they both hissed with equal vitriol and went directly for Bakura's neck, strangling him. 

Bakura fell back, and Yugi, with a dexterity he didn't realize he possessed, caught the alcohol bottle in midair and shoved it onto the coffee table beside them, trying to extricate their arms from a suddenly distraught Thief King, who was flailing trying to connect punches but instead swinging through vapor. 

Atem's contact, unfortunately for Bakura, was very, very real in his passionate state, pressing thumbs into his jugular unyieldingly, and Yugi realized in panic that his other selves were very much united in their mission to kill him.

" _Stop it_ ," he demanded, whether through their mental link or aloud it didn't matter, and they did, split apart on either side of the white-haired bandit, bloodlust in their eyes and very much components of the same soul that was stricken with jealousy and whatever other emotions had been building up in his neglect of them.

"Akhu, let us punish him..."

"Aibou, you have let this go too far..."

"Frankly, I am glad that you two are finally getting along," spat Yugi, glad that his magic had finally worked but irritated that it had taken so long. "Float over there please," he bid, gesturing wildly to his left and scooting closer to Bakura, who was coughing dramatically and rubbing his throat. 

"Thank you for calling off your dogs, Yugi, although I am confused why you called them _on_ in the first place," Bakura said, annoyed but not surprised by this development. His eyes cast a suspicious glare at the taller, better-muscled versions of their host, noting that one had the Egyptian tan of his own problem child and the regal jewelry and attire to match. Instead of giving them the satisfaction of his recognition, he turned to Yugi again. "What are the odds of me getting you in that costume?" he gestured to Atem. "The thought of you having a place in Egyptian monarchy turns me on." Then, he had the gall to reach for Yugi's face again. 

_No, no, no, no, no, no_...thought Yugi, scooting back out of his grasp. " _Bakura_. I have very limited control over this situation as it is, and your... _intoxication_ , is not helping us!" he pleaded, gripping the Puzzle. "And, I have to ask, I really do, how involved is Ryou right now? They will be more _understanding_ of you if you give it up a little!" gasped Yugi, hoping not to sound desperate but making eye contact with fiery red and purple eyes that held murderous rage he had no hope of mediating. 

Bakura's expression flattened and he stood to face them, leaving Yugi cowering in a corner on the couch. "Gentlemen. Please. I am but a simple asshole seeking to protect Ryou and your host from an even bigger asshole torturing and possibly killing them," he elucidated, spreading his arms in mock reverie. "Mercy, or I'm afraid the passionate lovemaking I have planned for Yugi will be interrupted and our love will be forever stymied by an ancient evil."

"I _highly_ recommend you stop hitting on me in front of them or your problem will not exist because _you_ will not exist," Yugi said hotly, closing in from the safety of his couch position and joining his counterparts across from Bakura. 

"Yugi can safely speak for all of us," snapped Yami, eyes darting between Atem and Bakura.

Atem, body swirling with agency now that he had a spirit formation again and frustrated that he'd been suppressed for so long, especially after his last interaction with his sweet akhu, towered over the thief, red eyes fiery with rage, and, Yugi noted, abject curiosity. He swirled back and forth across Bakura's shoulders, causing the white-haired man's neck to snap back and forth like a snapping turtle. 

"Augh. Cut that shit out." He grabbed the sides of his head, shaking it slightly and avoiding eye contact, but that was inadequate for Atem. He was getting extremely good at physical realization, Yugi noted, seeing as the twist of Bakura's arm and the sickening crack of his shoulder could only be implemented by someone who was physically there. _And why shouldn't he be?_ , thought Yugi. Whatever memories Atem had preserved in this incarnation was at the peak of his power - menacing, arrogant, sultry, and certainly not intimidated by a thief with a fraction of his memories. He pushed his magic further toward Atem and Yami, willing them to be present with him.

Yami physically pushed a chair back from the table and sat in it, crossing his legs and glaring. 

Atem draped his purple cloak around Bakura, digging his thumbs into his shoulders. Bakura looked scared but didn't sound it. "That's not too bad, Pharaoh, a little lower on the right..." Atem shoved a sharp ring into his kidney and he started, twisting his body and connecting his hand with a very real throat, but Atem phased back and pushed him onto the couch, where he continued to fight drunkenly but was losing steam.

"You always were a nuisance," Atem cooed, dragging his jewelry across Bakura's chest to a hum of indignation. "But what version of you could possibly be a threat?"

Bakura regarded the King with disdain, gradually losing interest to his fatigue. "You're hotter than I remember," he slurred. "But I don't think your Millennium Item goons ever let me get this close. And I'm not convinced that you're not as big a threat as the one I trapped, given the display I witnessed when you tore apart Yugi's assailant."

"You may have a casually hostile relationship with _that one_ ," he nodded at Yami, "but you'll do well to watch your forked tongue with me." 

He was terrifying but if Bakura thought so he hid it well. 

Atem sighed and leaned over Yugi's shoulders, wrapping his arms over his chest from behind, ignoring his adversary suddenly and enjoying the warmth of a real body. He frowned, pulling Yugi's head back against the cushion, jewels glittering in the candlelight (had Bakura lit candles? Were those flickering bulbs?)

As beautiful as Bakura and Yami were in the dim light, Atem was a god among men, arm muscles and cuffs glinting with definition and shoulders draped in silk, golden crown circling his head like a halo. Yugi sighed and wondered why he hadn't tried to project their bodies outside the puzzle before, not that he minded being possessed, and not that he minded the privacy and isolation of his soul room either. He suddenly felt very safe despite hostile territory and endeared himself to Bakura. "If you know anything about why these...splits...have happened, or what the nature of your fight was five thousand years ago, now is the time to explain."

Both Yami's and Atem's hearts brimmed with pride to watch their other stand up to the thief, momentarily forgetting their internal strife, and Yami boldly reached out to grip Yugi's knee, turning his sightline toward Atem and Bakura. "He does not owe either of you anything, after your displays today, but his heart is impossibly large and I would be remiss to talk him out of it even if it were possible." Yugi turned his eyes to Yami, feeling their corners pricking with tears, but suppressing what he really wanted to say in the absence of an audience.

Bakura shrugged and continued, "the darker, extra ripped version of me is untainted by the modern conveniences of this world that has made me soft, and would like nothing more than to nuke this city and revive whatever weapon caused us to split ourselves apart into tablets and Items in the first place."

Yami and Atem seemed to contemplate this with twin expressions and Yugi frowned.

"What do you need from us?" Yugi entreated, trying to push aside the latent sexual tension between...everyone...and expressing genuine concern as only he could do. 

Bakura made a dramatic effort to stretch, laying his head in Yugi's lap (maybe too close to the pharaoh's fists) and invoking Ryou's eyes to stare up and back into Yugi's. "I have no idea," he said, furling his hair back across Yugi's thighs and feigning distress. Atem scoffed and placed his palm over Bakura's eyes, and Yami pressed his fingers into Yugi's thigh, inching closer. They'd all forgotten about Ryou and Bakura's administration of significant quantities of Bakura's favorite adult beverage, although they were all still under the influence. Yugi suppressed some guilt about that but figured they wouldn't have gotten this far without it. 

"I think it's...safe...to say that there's more at stake than the egos at present, and that a drunken brainstorm for solutions isn't the best way to proceed," he began, taking a deep breath and realizing his sheer exhaustion as he leaned back against the couch. Atem tightened his embrace, Yami leaned in from the chair, stroking his thigh, and he pulsed in this rare cocoon of agreement for an instant before petting Bakura's drowsy head in his lap. "I want to see Ryou again, please," he asked, stroking the side of Bakura's temple and watching him pass out.

Ryou's eyes peeled back open heavily, glancing forward at Atem and back over Yugi's thigh at Yami. "Holy shit I bail out for two hours and there are three smoking hot magicians in my apartment." Ryou rolled over onto his side, arching into Yugi and extending long arms around Yami's legs before pulling himself up. Both Atem and Yami stiffened as they watched him, eyes wide, and held their breath. "Teach me how to project Bakura into my bed, Yugi, and I'll be your eternal servant," he said, leaning forward and pressing his lips to his, swiping a tongue along his teeth and oblivious to the jealous fire that had ignited around Yugi's counterparts. 

As comfortable as Yugi was surrounded by warmth and tangible sexual energy, he felt an obligation to Ryou and extricated himself from the others' grips, wrapping Ryou's arm around his shoulder and lifting him. Ryou hummed and offset his complete weight by stumbling forward. "That way," he pointed toward the bedroom, and Yugi sought to move him in a dignified way, knowing that due to Bakura's ministrations he was massively drunker, and eventually got him into a prone position on his mattress. The spirits followed them, walking instead of floating on either side of Yugi like dark sentinels, and watched him as he pulled off Ryou's shoes and inserted him under the top blanket. "He can remove his own pants and shirt when he wakes up," muttered Yugi, mildly irritated he didn't have the consent to perform the act personally, and crawled into the space next to him but on top of the blanket. Whatever reservations he had felt about the awkwardness of asking Yami how he really felt, it was shadowed by the direct and successful physical advances of Atem and Ryou. And Bakura...although his proclivities seemed tempered by Ryou and the dark shroud that hung over them in the Ring.

He closed his eyes, willing sleep to take him to avoid it, and felt Atem's consciousness retreat into the Puzzle with a faint whisper of affection and protection (an intoxicated and unconscious Ryou/Bakura/Other was a nonthreatening one). Yami was restless and stood up from the foot of the bed to return to the living room. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 11

* * *

Yugi suddenly felt a desperate surge of intoxicated annoyance and swung his legs over the bed and followed him out silently, killing the lights and quietly shutting the door to Ryou's bedroom on his way out. 

Yami jumped when Yugi stormed out into the adjacent kitchen, brimming a pint glass in the sink with water and slugging it down. 

"Yugi, you've had too much to drink."

"Working on that," he snapped, slamming another pint of water and planting the glass on the counter, maybe too loudly. He threw open some cabinets looking for dinner-substitute snacks, and found only more pretty bottles of the liquer. _Does Ryou eat_!? he thought with irritation, pulling open drawers and finding more flasks, utensils, and other non-foods. He was already going to have a headache, so...flask? He alternated drinking his discovery with his third water pint.

 _Are you hungry?_ he absently pushed through the mind link, curious if it'd work under the circumstances.

 _No, Aibou,_ he answered, although upon reconsideration, _I am if you are. I feel like I am here but I still feel like I am you._

Yugi stopped his search. He may not actually have been hungry, he was just drunk and peckish. "You should sleep," he said out loud. "Imminent danger is a room away and who knows when it will break free or what it wants," he gestured wildly, tossing the flask in the sink with a clang and coming back around the counter. Atem's disappearance suggested that he must be satisfied even though Yugi had wanted more, and he had a dark thought to explain to Yami just what their soul room activities had been that morning. To what end?

Yami spoke aloud, "Yes. Aibou, join me here." He had returned to the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Yugi obliged. He really must have been affected by the alcohol in the same way, because he gripped Yugi's hand in a display of uncharacteristic physical affection and braced their fist with his other hand. "You want to help. So do I. I think we can...I may not remember, and he may not remember enough, but the memories we discovered hold the key to why we are such burdens to you. Such parasites. Maybe if we solve this puzzle we can set you free." His eyes trembled in the firelight and he pressed his forehead against Yugi's. "I just hope you can forgive me for what I've put you through so far." He inhaled deeply and leaned back, shedding his jacket rubbing his own shoulders absently. 

Yugi was fuming and didn't know why. "You are _not_ a burden, mou hitori no boku," he pleaded, the tears threatening to return. "And you're making me really mad that you keep saying it. I don't want you to leave. I don't know what I would do without you." 

Yami was taken aback. "It seems like you would do just fine given how enamored the Bakuras seem to be with you."

"Maybe for casual sex, sure," Yugi slurred...Yami cringed at his sudden openness when he would normally be reserved or embarrassed at such an assertion. "You know, Atem asked me earlier what had ever turned me on, and..."

"He _what_...!?"

"...and I got part way into the answer, and got...distracted, but do you know the incident I thought of immediately?" He ignored Yami's blank look. "Of all people, _Kaiba_ defied Ishizu's Necklace prediction and played his Blue Eyes, his most loyal card, Ra knows why..." he trailed off. "He obliterated her, without Obelisk, and that was the hottest thing I've ever seen. He defied whatever constituted destiny, and, more imporantly, it was just a really _good fucking move_...." He crawled onto the couch and kneeled over Yami's shocked expression, the other not used to in the least hearing his Aibou swear. "And to this day," he continued, "I don't know if it was your thought or mine. I think you were...in control...at the time, but tell me the truth..." He paused and grabbed Yami's hand, not waiting for him to say or do anything, "did you feel the same excitement I did?"

Yami darted his eyes as if looking for an avenue of escape, somehow forgetting about his ability to disappear into the puzzle, and equally impressed by Yugi's sudden forwardness. He laughed suddenly, bracing himself against Yugi's shoulder, and confessed, "Oh, right. I remember that. I was definitely ready to lay the blame on you when we talked about it later but we never got the chance," he chuckled, suddenly wishing for Atem to lend him some of the smoke he seemed to charm Yugi with.

Yugi shook his head and leaned in closer. "You don't need to _charm_ me, Yami. I don't know how you feel but I know how I do. I love you. I don't really know what that means for us, sharing the Puzzle and all, and I don't know whether you want this to be strictly platonic, but that's how it is for me and I'm not ashamed to say something anymore. Atem has been very clear and direct and I think we could learn from him instead of pretending we're 'good buddies' sharing a body." He crossed his arms and averted his eyes. 

When the silence stretched, Yami's eyes blank and unrevealing, Yugi sighed and stood up. "I'm tired. And as the current custodian of our physical reality I'm going to get some sleep." 

Yami shocked awake like he'd been sleeping for millennia, Yugi _loved_ him?, blocking Yugi's path and brimming with an energy he didn't know he'd possessed. "Wait..." he yearned, palms against Yugi's shoulders. 

"No," replied Yugi, eyes hard and angry, before he tried to sidestep his other.

Yami was suddenly angry. "You give the pharaoh your attention on a whim and you won't hear me for one minute?"

Yugi glared at him silently.

"I have no idea what you were doing when Bakura accosted me at your school but it was certainly not _platonic_ ," he seethed. "I want you to be happy. Atem seems to make you happy. I was being glib earlier, but Ryou does too. That's what I want for you - real happiness, in the real world. Is that something you can have with either of us in the Puzzle?" he questioned, eyes getting sadder as he talked but maintaining the same regality that Atem did when he was discussing something challenging. "Now as for giving in to Bakura...I'll fight you on that one."

Yugi was taken aback...could he be happy with Ryou? Or Atem? In Yami's presence? Or his absence?

"Yeah. I could be happy with them," he admitted, watching Yami's face fall. "But I could never be happy without _you_." Yugi's shoulders slumped and he looked down at Ryou's carpet, counting the piles. He felt like the huge idiot who kept getting beat up when he started high school. He kept trying to reason with his bullies, but he could have been the most eloquent man in the world and he wouldn't have reached them. That's how he felt now. "Goodnight Yami."

His arm was halfway to Ryou's doorknob when he felt a strong arm stop him twist him into an embrace. He found himself face-to-face with his double, speechless. 

"Yugi," he exclaimed through tears, "I have always only tried to protect you. Even from me. If I break down that barrier I can't resurrect it."

Yugi had a split second to decide between brotherly protector and romantic lover, before his resolve crumbled and he pressed his lips to Yami's feverishly. A low, guttural groan, a moan or a sob, was his response, carefully constructed walls dissolving like pillars of salt as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man and devoured him.

He felt every emotion Yami had been shielding from him for years crash like a tidal wave through his mind, from the unfettered rage he unleashed on Yugi's bullies and abusers when he had first awoken from the darkness of the Puzzle, to the bottomless sorrow and crushing guilt when he had betrayed Yugi to the Seal, to his elation when they were reunited. He saw them together, washed up on the beach after the Leviathan had been defeated, except instead of the chaste but cheerful camaraderie of reality, he saw a thousand different scenarios play out in Yami's head. On his knees, begging for forgiveness; screaming in anger at Yugi's selflessness in sacrificing himself; kissing him, ravishing him on the beach, crossing every line he'd carefully drawn as a protector and succumbing to his baser instincts as a human; using shadow magic to dominate and reshape the world to serve them…

Yugi was completely overwhelmed and overstimulated. He felt the now familiar tendrils of arousal coursing into his blood, mixed with horror and nausea at the darkness that had been hidden from him. Still, he knew this man, and loved him, every part, for better or worse. 

And so he reciprocated, hands tangling in Yami's shirt, thumbs hooking into his belt to grind their hips together. He felt his light body lifted by his other and pressed against Ryou's door (Yugi prayed the thieves didn't hear it) as Yami's hands tangled in his hair, his tongue swirling to taste every corner of his mouth like a man who had found an oasis in a desert. 

Yugi felt his tenuous control of Yami's projection deteriorating as his arousal and yearning intensified. Magic was hard work and this was asking too much. He hooked an ankle around his yami's and forced him to the ground, lips and teeth clashing on the way down as he crawled up the body that was so similar to his own but so uniquely the pharaoh’s. _The pharaoh_. Yugi broke the kiss to a whimper of despair from Yami, straightening his back and straddling him suggestively, clutching the puzzle.

"Yugi, what are you..." but his vocalization caught in his throat as he felt their essence swirl into his soul room. It was the neutral ground, he noted, between his and Atem's, and if he hadn't been so preoccupied with Yugi's attention he would have protested. 

Yugi still sat on top of him, fire in his usually innocent eyes, and he spoke, "Where do you want this to go?"

Yami, from his prone position and feeling quite vulnerable, tried to summon a modicum of control from the sane recess of his mind. "Anywhere you wish."

"I'll hold you to that." Yugi stood, legs slightly wobbling, extending a hand to his other and lifting him up to tower over him. He pulled Yami toward the beaded entry to Atem's soul room, and Yami resisted. " _Why_ would we go _there_ , at a time like this," he demanded, tripping over his feet but following nonetheless. 

"Because you're more powerful together, and because I love him too," said Yugi as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yami grimaced as Atem's soul room opened to and enveloped them, casting his eyes up, up to the top of those regal, narcissistic fucking stairs, to see the King himself with his legs crossed and eyes wide, curious as he must have been as to why Yugi had dragged him here. 

"And to what do I owe this pleasure," he drawled as if it weren't a question, "because you seemed to have finally come to your senses, my darkness, and Yugi appears to be quite enamored." He raked his crimson eyes from toe to crown of hair on Yugi's body, Yugi staring him down with confidence he'd never witnessed before he bounded up the stairs and pressed a finger into the Eye of Ra on Atem's golden crown. Yami, below them, looked startled and took a step back.

"You," he started, "can either give me what I want or I will go to my own soul room with Yami and get it on the floor."

Atem was both offended and impressed...Yugi had never rushed up to him and had never been so forward. "And what," he asked,"is it that you want, little one?"

" _I don't know!_ " yelled Yugi, "You are the one with the harem and are supposed to be the freaking expert, Ra knows you proved that earlier, so give us some direction or I will fumble my way around embarrassing myself." His eyebrows narrowed and he pushed a firm hand onto Atem's shoulder. 

"The body remembers, as his will, but I appreciate you having the courtesy to say to my face that I _lost_."

"You didn't _lose_ , this is literally a game where everyone wins if you would all swallow your damned pride and let _me_ swallow...your..." he trailed off, sure of the pun initially but backtracking as the words left his lips, embarrassed but resolute. 

Atem's eyes darkened with lust. "Oh." He looked around Yugi at his other, arms folded at the bottom of the stairs but eyes boring holes into his head. So Yugi wanted them both? If it was sharing or _nothing_ , maybe he could reconsider. He saw a similar reasoning pass through Yami's face, though he suddenly wished he was in the royal court of his past where he could have him dragged down to the dungeons and whipped.

Atem stood, purple cloak and egyptian cotton fluttering, and gripped between Yugi's armpit and shoulder harshly, dragging him down the stairs and pretending not to care as he yelped and tripped several times. 

"Yugi..." Yami reached out to him, catching Yugi in his arms where Atem thrust him at the bottom of the stairs. Atem's steps padded softly as he strode past them toward a dark corridor. Yugi looked up into Yami's eyes, pleading, and Yami heard him..."we follow?" 

Yugi nodded and stepped quickly toward the pharaoh, who seemed to be constructing elements of his palace as they walked, elegant tapestries and hieroglyph carvings materializing in their path. 

The pharaoh veered hard left and waved a hand inside the room with a flourish, torches bursting to life and casting light on an elegant four-poster bed with a majestic white linen duvet, surrounded by metallic threaded pillows, draping silks on the windows, tapestries and rugs that individually may have been worth a modern man's salary for an entire year.

"Extravagant primadonna..." muttered Yami under his breath, to an elbow to the ribs from Yugi. 

"Do _not_ ruin this for me Yami," Yugi hissed under his breath. He strode forward and pressed his palms into the bedspread. "It's beautiful!" he beamed at Atem, who looked proud of himself. Atem dimmed the intensity of the flames and stepped closer to Yugi.

"And so are you, akhu," he breathed sensually, stroking the side of Yugi's face and eliciting a fierce blush despite the earlier confidence. His smirk turned into a scowl as Yugi reached back for Yami's hand. 

Yami's breath hitched as Yugi pulled his hand onto his hip and spun around, pulling his head down into another kiss. He would have been mortified that it was in front of Atem if Yugi hadn't been so tender. So, to rub it in, he wrapped his arms around Yugi and moaned appreciatively. Atem bristled out of the corner of his eye, but Yami's lips fell cold as Yugi pushed him away and swung around, grabbing Atem by the collar of his cloak and pulling him into an equally passionate kiss of his own. 

Atem _should_ have been offended by the unfamiliar taste of Yami in his lover's mouth, but with a surge of forbidden curiosity wondered what Yami's mouth would taste like directly. He pulled away from Yugi and looked over his shoulder into Yami's eyes, the desire for Yugi reflected in them like a dark mirror, and pushed Yugi to the side and onto the bed before closing the distance between them. 

Yami backed away like he was being tracked by a desert snake and almost tripped on the rug as Atem embraced him and dipped his mouth to his, groaning and chuckling as his other fought him but eventually relented. 

Yami wondered what perverted echelon of narcissism he had sunk to in order to feel the surge of arousal that coursed through him as another part of his soul seeked to reintegrate them through their mouths, heatedly responding with mind link approval as Atem's tanned arms wrapped around his waist and turned his body back onto the bed next to Yugi.

Yugi, meanwhile, thought his brain might implode at watching his spirits' attempt to...get along...and being quite a bit more successful than he had anticipated, gasping as they fell as one on the bed next to him, Atem's arm trailing up to his jaw and his face, then leaving Yami's mouth to devour Yugi's once again. 

Yami fought the jealousy at Atem's lips on his Aibou's and shoved Atem aside to switch them again, Yugi sharply inhaling a much needed breath in between. Atem allowed it and went to work on Yugi's pants, disrobing him at record speed and wrapping his mouth around Yugi's erection, causing him to gasp into Yami's lips and Yami to glance down, eyes wide at the sight of _his own face_ , as it appeared in the dim light, pleasuring Yugi...if it weren't for the arching of Yugi's hips and his desperate pleas for more he would have choked the pharaoh and made Yugi _his_ instead. 

Instead, Atem reached up into Yami's hair, yanking it down to his level and whispering breathlessly, " _My other, why don't you take over for me here._ " Yami blushed, although no one could tell, and went to murmur a protest until he saw Atem crawl up the bed, swipe his cotton waist wrap to the side and pull Yugi's head down onto his own arousal, to a gasp of surprise.

Yugi choked a little, a fucking _amazing_ sound, but pulled back and protested, "Atem, I...don't know what to do..."

"Just suck, little one, twirl your tongue and let me do the rest," he breathed, pushing Yugi's head back down onto him and groaning in approval as Yugi followed his instructions. He suddenly sucked deeper, a light whimper around Atem's length, as Yami engulfed Yugi in his own mouth to the hilt, licking at the bottom and trailing it back upward. Hm...maybe Atem was right, he'd certainly been on almost every end of sexual pleasure in his memories, and Yami possessed some of the muscle memory. His own neglected erection was straining against his pants and he freed it with flourish of his hand on his belt and zipper, stroking himself with his own hand and following his lips with his other hand on Yugi.

Atem had established a heated rhythm, fucking Yugi's face with his eyes closed and muffled gags and moans bleeding from his throat. He shifted his gaze toward Yami and tossed him a bottle of oil, gods know where he got it from. "Prep him," he commanded, pulling one of Yugi's small hands up to the base of his arousal, encouraging a stroking to complement Yugi's sucking motions, to which he eagerly complied. Yami wasn't amenable to being ordered but under the circumstances the order and the desire were in parity. 

Meanwhile, Yugi's attention was torn between what Atem was encouraging and what Yami was doing below the belt, although belts had been forgotten and he was completely naked (when that had happened he couldn't recall). His eyes widened as he felt delicate fingers probing at his untouched entrance (wasn't it an exit!? he wasn't a girl!), Yami sliding inside him with one, and then two, as he bucked his hips, burying himself down Yami's throat and eliciting a satisfying gag and a firm but gentle hand on his hip bone, holding him down. 

Atem had pressed his leg to one of Yugi's arms, pinning him, as he continued to thrust, occasionally looking back at Yami, who had busied himself cupping Yugi's ass and kissing the crevice between Yugi's thigh and groin as he fingered him, scissoring to Yugi's delicious mewling and angling toward his prostate. 

Yugi's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt his whole body pulsing, stroking and sucking Atem and rolling his hips into Yami's hand and mouth, having a pretty good idea why they were working on him like this but apprehensive nonetheless. 

Suddenly frustrated, Yami ceased his ministrations and shed the rest of his clothing, reaching forward to unclip Atem's cloak, pulling the other man toward him , pushing his arms above his head and ridding him of the remainder of his royal attire. Atem grinned suggestively and pulled Yugi off of him, yanking his neck back to gaze into his eyes. 

"You wanted us to get along, little one, is this what you had in mind?" He then crawled like a cat in all his tanned, naked glory toward Yami and pushed him back onto the bed in another searing kiss, pressing their bodies together and grinding his erection into his other's, to a groan of surprise but not protest. Yami reached around to cup Atem's full, muscular ass, curling his oil-soaked fingers into the crevice between his cheeks and pressing his fingers into the tight hole. 

Atem, who had _never considered being a bottom in his life_ , figured he had been asking for it and hissed into their kiss, clenching and bristling in annoyance as Yami chuckled mischievously in a deep baritone that was starting to more closely resemble the pharaoh’s. "Tell us what you want, Atem," he said, burying his finger further to a stifled moan and stroking Yugi's thigh with his other hand, his Aibou an interested and attentive audience beside them.

Atem pushed off of him and pulled Yugi up by the waist, forcing him onto his hands and knees, reaching down to cup Yami with his other hand. He grabbed a handfull of Yugi's hair and pressed his head down toward Yami's straining erection, to groans of approval from both parties, as he sidestepped and positioned himself behind Yugi. "He's good at it now...show my darkness what you've learned, my love."

Yugi made one last glance up into Yami's eyes, clouded with lust, before he swirled his tongue around the tip and buried his head on Yami's cock, at around the same moment Atem began slowly edging forward into him from behind, having coated himself in oil to act as a lubricant. 

Yugi started and tried to focus on Yami in front of him, hotly aware of being penetrated but not sure what it was supposed to feel like. He whimpered a little as he was stretched, but Atem caressed his hip sensually and dug his fingers into the flesh for better purchase. "Shhh...my love, there is no pain here, in this place, if you will it be gone. If you have patience I will take the pain away and give you a greater pleasure than you've ever experienced."

Yami, meanwhile, could barely hear or see beyond the tantalizing image and feeling of his sweet, innocent Aibou sucking him off, hand firmly on his neck controlling the speed of his thrusts and watching with fascination at Atem entering him. 

Yugi seemed to relax then, leaning back onto Atem to a furious moan as he unclenched his muscles and tried to banish the discomfort. Atem withdrew to the tip and then slid languidly back inside Yugi's ass, and Yugi matched it with an equal dragging of his lips up Yami's shaft, only to flit his tongue against the tip and then sink back down in both directions. 

"Aibou..." he moaned, eyes rolling back into his head and heel slipping around Yugi's waist to draw him closer. 

Yugi, unable to speak (and not sure if it'd be possible even if his mouth were free), just grunted and made a circular motion with his hips on Atem, earning him praise, " _Excellent_ akhu, perfect, absolutely perfect, it is like you've been trained to please a King," he purred, relishing in the wet slapping sounds his rough thrusts were met with at each movement. He reached around Yugi's waist and captured him in a hand, pumping him in time, shifting his angle to a more vertical strike and pounding against a deep bundle of pleasurable nerves inside Yugi.

Yugi saw white as something inside him bloomed, sending waves of pleasure through his body and guiding his tongue around Yami as he swallowed the fluid that had begun to leak from his tip. He felt a pressure building faster than before and didn't want it to be over, not yet!, but he had no way to protest and begged Atem to slow down through their mind link. His plan backfired, however, as Atem could sense just how close he was, and he doubled down on the exact movements that had made Yugi beg him to stop, until the younger man was moaning even louder. 

Both Yami and Atem, synchronous, felt the furious heartbeat of their previous powerful union begin to phase them together around Yugi, red rage replaced by white ecstasy, smoky shadow and sex magic coursing through them and the light between them. Yugi's eyes were closed but he could see a glow through his eyelids, bright as the sun, and redoubled his efforts on both ends to please his lovers, wondering if there were still two of them, one, or dozens when he felt hands caress every inch of his body, both inside and out, simultaneously. 

As suddenly as they had shifted into phase as one entity, they separated again, an unconscious arbitration concluded and the power now within reach. Yugi, seemingly oblivious, groaned wantonly as he writhed, bringing both spirits to the brink.

Yami felt the reverberations of Yugi's impassioned voice echo throughout his pelvis, and felt the beginnings of an orgasm about to overtake him as Yugi relentlessly applied suction.

In a last, breathtaking, euphoric moment, Yugi spasmed and saw stars, hot white threads shooting from his tip and coating the bed and Atem's generous hand. The feel and sight of him losing it, and the raw orgasmic bliss that shuddered through the mind link, as well as increase in pressure from Yugi's mouth, sent Yami over the edge too and he tried with all his might not to sheath himself completely and cause his Aibou to gag. Whatever fears he'd held about that eventuality, though, were shattered as Yugi swallowed and squeezed the shaft in front of him with both hands, edging every drop into his eager mouth.

Moments after Atem was satisfied that the others were, he let himself go, riding out the last clenches of Yugi's ass until he had spilled himself into the tight hole buried to the hilt, throwing his head back and shouting Yugi's name up into the canopy. 

Minutes, or maybe hours, passed as Atem gingerly cleaned them up with a damp cloth, tossing it to the floor and settling Yugi between him and Yami in warm layers of naked bodies, coated in sweat. He magicked the blanket above to flutter and curl around them, and pulled his chin to tuck under Yugi's neck as his mirror did the same from the other side.

He caught Yami's eye as Yugi started to doze off and winked, whispering, "I suppose sharing is...acceptable under current conditions."

Yami smirked and nodded, wrapping his hand around Yugi's hip and capturing Atem's at the same time. "You're such a romantic."

"Look guys, I'm a Pharaoh sandwich," giggled Yugi from half-sleep, arching his back and drawing both of them closer as both breaths hitched.

"It's actually a Yugi sandwich," Yami said, "since we're the bread."

Yugi laughed and planted kisses on each chin, turning over to reach Atem's, before settling in and finally drifting to sleep.

Yami had to admit that he was deeply satisfied to be able to finally see this side of Yugi, and knowing that he had Atem (and possibly Ryou) to thank for it - it may be a window into at least a part of his memories where apparently he was a sex god on top of being a regular one. And his body certainly did remember something - but he was convinced that no harem girl had ever given Atem the kind of satiation he was infused with at the moment, and in making contact with those hazy red eyes he didn't need the mind link to know that he was right.

They also both mulled over Yugi's fascinating ability to unite the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle into a complete power. They key to reawakening it was this young man, a light in their darkness.

With a final squeeze at Yugi's hip, Yami and Atem drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atem mighta gone Dr Manhattan on his ass.


End file.
